This is the second post in the series about the townswoman clothes accessories. To read about the first post, please, click here.

Belt.

In the rich burials of pre-Mongolian Rus, the belts were repeatedly found. V.V. Hvoyko reports findings in the graves of the Middle Near-Dnieper (in Sharqi, in Belgorod) silk belts with Byzantine and pagan ornament.

Another option is leather belts with plaques. Based on the Ladoga textile finds, I have selected to proceed and recreate a belt from Kochkurkina, S. I. and Orfinskaya, O. B research.

Archeology and visual anthropology analysis.

            The research has covered various kurgans where findings dated from X to XIII century. All the technology used in the belt production remains the same as there was no real production revolution then. I have proceeded with a trim/belt found in one of the kurgans. The piece was overall 1.5 cm in width and 8 cm in length.

Production.

The belt was made using the card weaving method, with 12 cards. I have used New England wool that I found in the following colors: blue, red, and yellow.

I have set up the box loom and used it as a frame while weaving.

All cards were either twisted forward until the point the threads were twisted tight and then twisted all the way backward. The pattern changed five times altogether.

Attached is the pattern I have recreated based on the finding and section II analysis.

References

Alpatov, S. V. (n.d.). Birch Barks in the context of folklore and literacy culture. Folklore and Ethnography, 123-128. Retrieved from http://www.drevnyaya.ru/vyp/stat/s4_18_10.pdf

Kochkurkina, S. I., & Orfinskaya, O. B. (2014). Ladoga’s Kurgans culture – Technological textile reasearch. Petrozavodsk: Korelian science center.

Koledinskiy, L. V. (1991). Vitebsk Upper Castle.

Kuzmina, O. V. (n.d.). Women Costumes in XIII cetury. Retrieved from https://slavmoda.com/jenskiy-kostum-xiii-veka/

Lozina-Lozinskya, A. S. (1936). In Flora URSS (pp. 702-704). Kiev: Academy of Sciense USSR .

Nahlik, A. (n.d.). Novgorod Textiles. Research Materials in USSR Archeology, 228-313.

Orfinskaya, M. A. (1997). Ancient Rus. Customs and culture.

Orfinskaya, O. (2020). Old Ladoga Textile during the era of Vikings.

Orfinskaya, O. V., & Engavatova, A. (2009). Medieval textiles from the necropolis of Dmitrov Kremlin, Russia. Archaeological Textiles Newsletters.

Procopius. (VII). History of Wars.

Prohorov, V. (1881). Historical materials about clothes and folk customs. St. Petersburg.

Rybakov, B. A. (1953). After Ancient Cultures: Ancient Rus.

Saburova, M. (1997). Ancient Rus. Customs and culture.

Saburova, M. A. (1997). Ancient Rus costume. Moscow: Science.

Sedov, V. (n.d.). Ancient East Slavic Garb in VI-IX cc.

Sedov, V. V. (1982). Eastern Slavs in Vi-XIII century. Moscow: Science.

Sitdikov, A. G. (2017). The Volga Region Archeology. Tatarstan.

Štih, P. (2010). V. Wiped Out By The Slavic Settlement? The Issue Of Continuity Between Antiquity And The Early Middle Ages In The Slovene Area.

Strekalov, S. (1877). Russian historical Clothes X-XIII century. Saints Petersburg.

Zvelev, N. N. (1996). Flora Europae Orientalis. St. Petersburg, Russia. doi: ISBN 5-90016-28-X